


Love to Let You Go

by notamundane2004



Category: Stranger Things - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-03-27 00:12:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13868952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notamundane2004/pseuds/notamundane2004
Summary: Will always thought he was great at hiding his feelings for Mike. When El becomes suspicious, he realizes just how transparent he’s been.Also known as the one where Will Byers comes out to the gang and they’re all supportive.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first Stranger Things fic, so I hope you all like it!

Will Byers was great at faking it. The youngest Byers boy had never taken an interest in girls, and after he realized why he knew he never would. Will hadn’t come out to anyone, nor did he think he would soon. Hawkins wasn’t a very open-minded town, and Will was still traumatized by “Zombie Boy”. The thing was, Will never let on to the flutters he felt in his stomach when Mike Wheeler was around. He never thought anyone saw his soft blush when there hands brushed. The boy always caught himself when his staring at Mike went on a little too long. Will Byers one goal was to never let anyone realize his completely non-platonic love for his friend. Unfortunately for Will, there was one person who saw right through him, and she was the person he least expected to realize. 

Eleven had liked Will when they first met. He was nice, and he was quiet, more reserved than the others. Mike was her favorite, but Will wasn’t too far behind. They got along well, she saying only a few words at a time, and him listening carefully to each one. El had become more observant over the years, and after being quiet for so long she took note of everything around her. When she noticed her friend Will acting strangely around Mike, well she was incredibly curious. It wasn’t until El took note of the way he looked at Mike, that she realized. It was the way Mike looked at her. Eleven didn’t want to face Will, as she’d learned people didn’t take so kindly to that. The girl decided she’d ask him about it subtly, or at least as subtle as she could manage. One day when Max was sick, Lucas out-of-town, Mike babysitting Holly, and Dustin out with Steve, El found the time to ask.

“Will,” she began, not entirely sure what she’d ask that wouldn’t scare him away.

“Yes El?” He replied, his sweet voice polite and unsuspecting. The girl looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. When she looked back up, Will looked slightly concerned.

“Well, I was wondering, are you, are you alright?” She muttered, barely making the words come out right. El had spoken with ease for a few years now, being in her Junior year of high school. Yet, sometimes she still tripped up on words, like any kid would. Eleven noticed now that Will looked confused, and almost concerned for El.

“Me? I’m fine. Why is something wrong?” He asked, worry written all over his face. El took a moment to think, what could she say in response? 

“I was just wondering, about you and… and Mike,” she barely murmured. A small blush crept up her cheeks, as she glanced at Will’s face. She noted the way his face changed at the word Mike, and then changed back almost instantly. Her heart dropped to her stomach, did he really have feelings for Mike?

“What? I mean we’re friends, best friends. Why do you ask? Did he say something?” Will stuttered, trying to seem calm. 

“No, he didn’t it’s just,” El started, not sure whether to finish the sentence or not.

“Do you have a crush on Mike?” She burst out desperately. Her eyes flitted over Will’s face, trying to read him. The boy turned bright red, then the color drained from his face. If he had wanted to speak, El would never know because at that moment he started to sob. She was taken aback, guilt consuming her. Why did she have to ask him that? El felt another terribly ache in her stomach, this from the guilt of making her friend cry. Quickly, she pulled Will into a hug, the way Mike often did to her when she felt sad. The thought of Mike made her feel another burst of pain, and a yearning for him. He was good at helping people, he’d know what to do, she thought. This was her mess though, so El didn’t want to drag Mike into this. No, she was going to get to the bottom of whatever was going on and apologize to Will.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

Both kids looked up at each, breaking from their embrace. El took a deep breath, time to make her case.

“No, I should apologize. I shouldn’t have asked, I didn’t have the right,” she added bashfully. “I guess I just thought maybe you liked him, and well, I don’t know. But I promise I won’t tell him, if you don’t want me to,” she finished, not sure if Will would even know what she was saying. God, she was such a bad friend. Eleven day Will finally meet her gaze, his head tilted upwards.

“Hey, friends don’t lie right? I should have come clean, he’s your boyfriend, and you’re my friend just as much as he is. I’ve been lying for a while now, it feels good to come clean, at least to one person,” he muttered, a dry laugh following his spiel. El grabbed his hand in a comforting way. The way sisters might comfort their brothers. 

“I’m sorry, again. We can figure this out together, ok?” She told him softly. He smiled at her lightly, before pulling his friend into a hug. 

“Ok,” Will replied softly. This would be hard, but with friends by his side he knew he could do it. The hardest part was getting started, and he’d just pulled back that first part of the band-aid.


	2. Gone are the Days of Ignorance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will contemplates telling the Party his secret, but he ends up only outing himself to one person. Of course, it happens to be the worst person of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I’m sorry for the wait, I hope everyone likes this!

The Party met on a cloudy Friday afternoon, each member casually hanging around Mike Wheeler’s basement. Lucas and Max were playing Rock Paper Scissors, and Lucas kept losing. “Damn it!” He muttered, causing Max to snort.

“Wow, how lady like,” Dustin quipped, teasing Max. The red-head just stuck her tongue out at him, before giving him the bird.

“It’s not my fault Stalker can’t play for his life!” She replied, a smirk on her face. The three kids continued arguing, but Will had stopped paying attention. His attention was now on Mike and Eleven. She was laying in his lap, while he played with her chocolate brown curls. Will almost sighed just by looking at the two together. They were so young, but so in love. Will wished he would find someone who looked at him the way Mike looked at El. He honestly had wished Mike looked at him that way. The sad part was, even though Will knew he would never be able to date Mike, he couldn’t accept this hard truth. It was like there was still a connection between them that wasn’t just friendship, it was something more. Of course, that really could have just been part of the youngest Byers imagination. He put his hands on his forehead, groaning silently. Nobody noticed thankfully, as he didn’t want to explain his mood. Then again, wasn’t he supposed to be jumping out from the closet sometime soon? He glanced over at El, and noticed she was looking at him too. Maybe he hadn’t been as slick as he thought. Sighing, the Byers boy tried to fake a smile towered Eleven. The girl didn’t buy it however, and much too Mike’s protests she crawled to a proper sitting position. Scooting over to Will, the brunette looked at him through caring eyes.

“Will, is something wrong?” She whispered sweetly. He wanted to tell her the truth, but he knew he would have to lie. El was so happy with Mike, and even though she knew of his feelings, she didn’t know everything he felt. He smiled sadly, before opening his mouth to speak.

“Nothing, really. I’m fine,” he added reassuringly, even though that was definitely not the truth. Will was definitely not fine, and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Will felt like lying to his friends was the worst thing he could do, yet here he was, lying. Will let out a deep breath, not meeting Eleven’s eyes. She could probably tell he was not telling the truth, yet the girl stopped saying anything. Instead she squeezed his hand and went back to Mike. Will watched as the curly haired Wheeler boy beamed down at El. The two cuddled up close to each other, and Will felt a mix of jealousy and sadness. His moping was interrupted by Dustin’s loud voice.

“Ew! Get a room!” He groaned, staring in disgust at El and Mike. Will glanced over and saw that El was basically on top of Mike, and she was tickling him. Will didn’t know whether the Wheeler boy’s face was red from laughing or Dustin calling him out. Mike now propped El up, so she still on his lap just they were both sitting up.

“What do want Dustin?” Mike asked, exasperated. Will never thought there was a problem with the couples in the group showing affection, until he had realized his crush on Mike. Even then he never said anything, why would he? Why let his own miserable feelings latch onto the minds of the innocent group? Mentally yelling at himself for being so negative, he tried to return his focus to the group. It was hard though, and as he heard the rest of the Party talking happily, oblivious to Will’s feelings, he couldn’t take it. Enough was enough, he needed to face the facts. Slowly, he practiced talking in his head. _So guys, you probably didn’t know this but guess what? I’m gay! I’m totally in love with Mike and nobody knows but El! Yay!_ Will blinked in shock, surprised by his own thoughts. Will didn’t realize that he even felt this way, hiding behind his own mind shield. Maybe he really needed to say something, and fast. The Byers boy didn’t know how long he could keep up the facade. Especially since everyday it was like a little part of him was being washed away by his lies. Will tried his best to be sweet, and happy, but it was hard to pretend all the time. Sometimes Will wished that he could show emotions without people acting like he was a baby. Will had definitely been in a bad place when he came back from the Upside Down, and when the Demogorgon was after him, yet that was a while ago. He had grown now, Will just wished other people could see that too. Sighing slightly, he looked over at everyone yet again. They all seemed so happy, he wished he could feel that same way. Unfortunately, unless he outed himself to the whole party right then and there, he was out of luck. Will got up from his spot on the floor, yawning.

“Well guys, I’m tired, I think Jonathan is going to get me soon anyways,” he muttered, trying to look as exhausted as possible. Mike looked up from the floor, along with El.

“Do you want me to wait with you?” Mike asked, a smile on his face. Will honestly wished that Mike wasn’t as polite as he was, because he really did not want to be alone with Mike.

“Oh no, it’s all fine!” He assured him. Will grabbed his backpack from the chair in the basement, and ran up the staircase from the Wheeler’s basement. He had just reached the top when a voice called out to him.

“Wait! You left your drawing here!” Mike yelled from the bottom of the steps. The thud of the curly haired boy running up the stairs was pretty loud, as he ran to deliver the paper to Will. “Here,” Mike whispered, panting from racing up the stairs.

“Um, thanks,” Will mumbled, grabbing the paper without meeting Mike’s eyes, he walked to the door hurriedly. He had tried not to touch the other boy’s hand when he grabbed the paper, but it was tough. Especially since Mike had fumbled with holding the darn thing. Will was so close to leaving, when he felt Mike’s hand on his arm.

“Wait Will, Jonathan’s not even here yet. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Wait, are you feeling ok?” Mike added, worry clear on his face. His forehead scrunched together, and he bit his lip in confusion. Oh no, here it comes, Will thought. Immediately Will felt butterflies in his stomach, that he wished he could just swallow. Of course it wasn’t that easy, and the Byers boy realized that just standing there wouldn’t be a good choice.

“I’m, fine Mike. Seriously,” Will replied, starting to get more flustered than he was before. Will noticed that Mike had seen the frustration in his gaze, and now looked a little upset.

“Well, I mean if you want to talk that’s fine. If you don’t that’s also fine. I just want you to know that I’m always going to be here for you, cause we’re best friends and that’s what best friends do. Also Will do you have a fever? Cause your face is turning a little red. Here, let me feel-“ but Mike did not finish his sentence. Instead, Will had chosen that moment to silence Mike with a kiss. A kiss that Will had not planned on ever doing. His brain totally malfunctioned and he began to panic, all he could hear was the sound of Jonathan pulling in the driveway, and the door slamming as he ran out. He didn’t have time to look at Mike’s shocked, and scarlet face. Nor did he have time to explain to Jonathan why he was sprinting to the car. “Step on it!” He yelled, before bursting into tears he didn’t realize he’d been holding back. Jonathan looked back at him, alarmed. “Will?” He asked, his voice quiet as a mouse.

“I’ll explain, later,” Will managed to get out before he started to cry again. This was all his fault, he’d just ruined his relationship with his best friend, and all for a crush that would never go anywhere. _Great, just great._


	3. Make Me Cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait for this chapter, I hope you all like it! As usual, any comments or critique is appreciated. <3

Will Byers didn’t expect to be crying in the backseat of his brothers car on a Friday afternoon, yet that’s where he was. Will recounted the events that had led to this moment, hating that it was inevitable. Will couldn’t help having a crush on Mike, if you could even call it that. Will was certainly in love with the Wheeler boy, but it was one sided. Mike had El, why would he choose Will of all people over his soulmate? Will slunk back into his seat, his head in his hands.  
“Will? Do you want to talk about it?” Jonathan asked from up front. Will let out a sigh, there wasn’t anyway he could get out of telling Jonathan the truth. After all, he did just have an emotional breakdown in the car. Will shook his head, but he did mutter a few words.  
“Have you ever messed up, bad. Like really, really bad?” Will asked his older brother, without giving much context. The older Byers boy paused, but didn’t ask any other questions.  
“Of course I have. But it’s part of life, it helps you learn,” Jonathan replied wisely. Will stayed quiet for a while, not sure how to respond. He had learned from this experiment that he should never talk to his friends again, because they probably all hated him. They probably thought he was weird, and didn't want him to be a part of the party. Will grimaced, why did he have to think these awful thoughts? They were his friends, they were supposed to accept him for who he was, right? What if they didn’t? That’s what scared Will the most. He couldn’t bear the thought that after all that had happened it would end so suddenly. And for such a bad reason too. Will looked up and noticed his brother staring at him through the mirror.  
“Will, come on, you can tell me anything, you know that right?” His brother asked softly. Will nodded, but he stayed quiet. His thoughts ate away in his mind, festering and threatening to explode if he stayed quiet.  
“I did something bad. I, I kissed…” Will started, why was it so hard for him to just finish the goddamn sentence?!  
“Who, Will?” Jonathan muttered quietly. His brother was driving slower now, his attention more on Will than the road.   
“Mike,” Will replied, his voice barely audible. Will felt his voice get choked up, and it was hard for him to swallow. His coming out ceremony was one pill he wanted to crush up and throw away. Yet sadly, he couldn’t keep ignoring the truth. Even if it meant utter word vomit, the words had to leave his mouth.   
“Oh, I, uh, ok then,” Jonathan mumbled, his voice calm, but also a little bit concerned.  
“And does Mike reciprocate these feelings? Cause if not, then you have to talk,” Jonathan added quickly, trying to cover up his initial surprise. Will wasn’t glad for the question, but he was happy his brother didn’t seem mad. Infact, Jonathan looked like he was a little sad. Will figured it was because the younger boy had been keeping this secret for so long. He used to always tell his brother everything, but now he had been more closed off, and less likely to share anything. Things had been different for a while now, but Will had always hoped nobody would notice. He was wrong though, because it was apparent that the others had noticed something.   
“Mike obviously doesn’t like me back. He has El, they’ve been practically married since we were Freshman,” Will retorted, trying not to sound as bitter as he felt. He couldn’t blame Mike for being in love with El. Just like he couldn’t be blamed for being in love with Mike. These things just sort of happened. Jonathan paused before saying anything, which showed that he was clearly thinking a lot before speaking.   
“Will,” his brother began softly, “You’ve all been best friends for years, I doubt this would make them stop being your friend. Maybe it would come as a surprise, but they’d adjust soon enough,” his brother finished. Will didn’t say anything, instead choosing to stare out the window. He knew he had to do something, but he wasn’t sure what. The car neared a stop, as they pulled into the driveway. Will hopped out before shutting the door. He walked into his house, quick to wipe away any left over tears. Will didn’t want his mom to notice, that was the last thing he needed, to have to explain to his sweet mother why he was so sad. Will had always planned on telling her first, but now he had lost whatever little bravery he had started with. The boy crept down the hall towards his room, hoping he wouldn’t be noticed.  
“Sweetie?” A voice called out, which Will recognized as his moms. The brunet took a deep breath, he turned, trying to look faux happy.   
“Hey mom,” He chirped, but it was half hearted. His mother was the best at telling when something was wrong, so he knew he probably wouldn’t be able to fool Joyce Byers.   
“How was your day? Schools ok, the campaign going fun?” She inquired, her voice loving and filled with care. Will knew he couldn’t keep up with the facade, besides he’d feel better telling his mom everything that happened. His family wouldn’t leave him, and he had already told Jonathan the truth. The next step would be coming out to the Party, then his whole town. Will took a few steps to his mom, before melting into her arms. If Joyce was surprised she didn’t slow it, instead wrapping her arms around her son.  
“Will, sweetheart, what is it honey?” Joyce inquired. Will let himself inhale her familiar scent before speaking in a muffled voice.  
“I messed up everything,” he muttered. “I kissed Mike, because I, I like him. I’m gay Momma,” Will whispered into her chest. He waited for the inevitable speech The would come soon. He waited, yet his mother remained speechless.   
“Oh my sweet Will, I was wondering when you’d tell me,” she whispered softly into his hair. He looked up, meeting her eyes. Had she really known all this time?  
“A mother always knows these types of things, ever since you came back, I noticed something had changed. The way you interacted with everyone, it was different. Then I noticed it was only when Mike was around, more even when Mike and El were here. It wasn’t that hard to put the pieces together,” she finished, with a small smile on her face. Will started to laugh, and the began to sniffle. Joyce looked at him, and the began to laugh with him. To think, all these years of keeping a secret, only to find that his mom had known all along. Soon Joyce and Will were hysterically laughing together, holding each other hands. Jonathan came in from the kitchen to see what the noise was about.   
“What’s going on here?” The boy asked.   
“Oh, Jonathan,” Joyce managed to get out, but she kept laughing. The older woman grabbed her son and pulled him towards herself and Will. She wrapped them all in loving arms, holding them close. These were her boys, and she never wanted them to feel like they couldn’t tell her something.  
“Ok, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. Will, what are we going to do about Mike?” She asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath, before unlocking his elf from the grasp of his family.  
“Not we, just me. I’m going to talk to him,” he stated, before walking over to the telephone. Dialing the Wheeler family phone number, he called. Surprisingly, the phone was picked up on the first ring.  
“Hello?” Will said into the phone.   
“Will?!”   
“Yes, it’s me,” Will replied.  
“Tomorrow, meet me at Benny’s. Don’t bring the others ok? We need to talk.”


	4. Accepted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long to write, probably because I kept starting it then abandoning it. Anyways, after such a long wait, I hope everyone likes it :)

To say Will was nervous would be the understatement of the year. The boy had been pacing back and forth, biting his nails and his lip. Even Joyce took notice of her sons anxiousness.   
“Will sweetie, this is the same Mike you’ve known for years. Don’t be nervous,” she told him warmly. Even his mothers caring demeanor couldn’t calm him down though. The boy had gushed to his brother and mom about what he had said to Mike on the phone, and they had tried to reassure him. Unfortunately, it hadn’t given him much peace of mind. Will finally decided “whatever” and the boy left his house and headed to the diner. He had already exposed himself to Mike, what else could he do? Will hopped onto his bike and started pedaling to the restaurant, pleased with how nice the evening was. The sun was setting, and the sky was tinted pink and orange. Will enjoyed the summer breeze on his face, knowing it would be gone soon. Will figured he should remain optimistic about salvaging his friendship, and so he tried to think only hopeful thoughts. Will peddled onwards, until he stopped outside the door of the diner.  
“Here goes nothing,” He muttered to himself. The boy opened the door, the jingling of the bell giving away his presence. Will noticed Mike was already there, sitting alone in a booth by the corner. His hair was sticking out in places like he’d been pulling at it, and his face looked worried. Will decided to just go before he got nervous and left. Will marched over to where his friend was sitting, and he sat across from Mike in the booth. When Will sat down, Mike looked at him, not even noticing he had been standing in the doorway. Mike had probably been so caught up in his thoughts, thinking about all the things that had happened in the past few hours. Will couldn’t blame him, Will himself was still in shock.   
“Will, what happened? I thought we told each other everything, but I guess not,” Mike trailed off, looking downwards.   
Will felt his throat start to close up, but he didn’t say anything.  
“I just want you to be happy Will,” Mike added with a small smile.  
“I’m sorry I never told you, I just didn’t know how. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, by telling you the truth. Which is...” he started, but didn’t finish. It seemed like Mike already knew the answer based off their kiss, but he didn’t say anything.  
“That I love you. And even if it’s never going to be in the way that I want, I’ll still love you because you’re my best friend, and I want you to be happy too,” Will finished with a small smile. What happened next suinfrontrprised Will, not because it had never happened, but because he had never thought Mike would let himself go in front of others. Mike started to tear up, his eyes glazing over. Will gently placed a hand on his shoulder, to tell him it was ok. It wasn’t right that Mike was upset, he hadn’t done anything but try to understand Will.  
“Mike, you ok?” Will asked him gingerly.  
Mike sniffled, before wiping away the tears underneath his eyes.  
“I’m fine, really. It’s just, I know this must have been hard for you. And the fact that you’ve been keeping it a secret for so long, I just...” Mike trailed off. Will took a deep breath, Mike understood him so well. That was why they’d been best friends for so many years, the fit with each other. Will didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. Instead the boy grabbed his friend and pulled him into a tight hug.  
“It’s going to be ok,” Will said, not having expected himself to be comforting Mike. Will originally thought he’d lose control, but apparently not. Mike sniffled and pulled away from Will.  
“You’re the best friend I could ever have. You know that? And even though I can’t love you like that, I still love you so much. You know that right?” Mike told his best friend. Will nodded, before smiling at Mike. The two had never been able to appropriately talk to each other about love. Mike still blushed every time El said it to him, which always made Will and the other party members laugh. However in this moment something had changed allowing Will to really accept himself, as well as be accepted. Will wasn’t really hungry at that point, but he wasn’t about to leave if Mike was.  
“Do you want to stay? Or should we go?” Will asked, not realizing he was making a reference to one of his favorite songs.  
“Let’s just go, I’m not really hungry,” Mike said with a smile, as he and Will got up and left.   
As they exited, Mike turned to Will.  
“Hey, you know the other party members won’t care right? As long as you’re happy, we’re happy.” Will just smiled at his feet and nodded, he was ready to tell the rest of them at last. 

Will and Mike returned to the Byers home where they invited Max, El, Lucas and Dustin to join them. El had already known but she gave no attention to that fact, only offering Will a small smile and thumbs up as he sat the party down to tell them. Mike was by his side the whole time, with an encouraging look on his face, as well as not bringing up what had happened between the two in front of the rest of the party. Dustin, Lucas and Max weren’t very surprised, since they’d known Will so long and he had never taken an interest in girls. Max had noticed when they’d first met that he was different than the other boys, and she felt like he could have been holding something back for so many years. Dustin and Lucas told Will he could have told them earlier, but they still respected his decision to wait. They just wished he hadn’t suffered the cruel treatment from Mouthbreathers like Troy, and hadn’t had to hold anything back for so long. Really the Party didn’t act like anything was out of the ordinary. By the end of their meeting, Will felt good. He felt better than that, he felt

Accepted.


End file.
